Target
by Aikido Kasshin Ryu
Summary: Hunted by several assailants at every moment, Nina Williams battles for her life as numerous killers aim for her title as the world's greatest assassin, but it's a matter of time before someone from her past joins the fun. AU.
1. Sleeping on the Job

Author's Note: Yes, I'm alive. I'm back with a new Tekken fanfiction that was working on this morning. I got the idea from reading some of Thunderxtw's fanfic (read them, they're awesome) and playing No More Heroes. I'm not sure if I'll update this immediately, and I'm sorry if it's short, but I've been busy lately (and obviously lazy) working on school stuff (not sure why the hell I got a project when it's the end of the year) and entering two contests for Otakon this year. But I will get a chance to update whenever I get a chance (yes I said this in my other fanfictions but never did it, I know). Anyway, enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: No I do not own Tekken, and don't plan to. (-_-;)

Nina stepped through the door of her apartment, kicking the heels off her feet and flung them across the room. She removed her leather coat as she hung it onto the coat racket and then sat down on the couch, lounging as the dim lighting had set a comforting mood. Silence had soothed her ears as Nina began to slowly close her eyelids, drifting to a land of sleep, a land where she could escape from the disturbance outside her mind.

" Falling asleep on the job, Miss Williams? "

Her eyes were immediately pried open in alert, then shot a look at the ceiling to see a man falling from it, Nina leaped over the couch seconds before the attacker could pounce on top of her, landing on the cushioned furniture on his feet. Nina moved into a stance, arms into her with her legs apart, examining her opponent; he seemed to had long black hair in a braided ponytail, his face hidden behind a silver mask as cold, brown eyes were only exposed, staring at her. He wore a green suit, his half-buttoned shirt showed a tone chest, broad shoulders gave Nina the notice of him being very muscular.

" Who the hell are you?! " She shouted at the man in a demanding tone, her voice soon muffled by the abrupt rumbling of thunder heard from outside, rain pouring down the windows as the quick flashes of lightning lit the dimmed room. Before the woman could get an answer, the assailant charged at her, a claw had swung at Nina as she ducked under his right arm, then quickly getting up from her crouched position as she forced her knee into the region below his belt. The man groaned in pain and began to double-over as Nina took the arm that he swung and began to twist it, shifting her hips as she turned and flipped the man over her shoulder with his back pounding against the floor as it emitted a loud thump.

The woman took a few steps back as she rushed towards the couch, with all her strength tackling it with her shoulder as she knocked it over. Attached to the bottom of the couch revealed a pistol as she crouched down and snatched the gun, aiming the firearm at the man's back as he rose from the floor, index finger pressed against the trigger as many rounds were shot. Bullet after bullet were planted into his spine as Nina kept firing, the silencer equipped barely made a sound that would've alarmed her neighbors resting in their homes if weren't attached. Suddenly she stopped firing at the sound of a click, the pistol empty of ammo with the man in suit laid out on his masked face.

It was silent for a good, few seconds before a crack of lighting sounded throughout the room, Nina tossed away the gun and crept over towards the body, kicking it over on its back as she took a good look at his face, chuckling under her breath with her mouth curved into a smirk. " Now let's see who this guy really is. " She leaned over and reached out her hand to take the mask. Suddenly another crack of lightning boomed louder than the last and made her jump, and just like that the man's eyes had popped open, his huge palm clamped around Nina's throat, slamming her body against the wall as he pinned her.

" What the...? " Nina struggled to break free, but to no success, and was sent into a state of shock; she had clearly shot this man a thousand times in the back and knew he shouldn't of survived, though right now this was the last of her problems; now she was worried about stopping the man from trying to kill her. Reaching under her skirt, Nina pulled a stun gun and swung, her attacker's free arm snatched the wrist of her weapon arm. _" Shit. " _The man's grip tightening by high measures around her wrist, the woman shouted a painful yelp as she dropped her weapon, her face twisted in agony but switched into a mask of rage as she drove her nails into the man's eyes. Nina rushed towards him as she tackled him, reaching for the lamppost as she shouted a loud battle cry, ready to bring down her new-found weapon upon her fallen opponent, then swung down as the man rolling out of the way with the lamp and the shade smashing against the floor, leaving the woman with a wooden pole to defend herself with.

" Come on, Miss Williams. Show me what you're made of. " The man taunted his opponent as Nina charged at him, swinging the wooden pole but failed to even get in a hit. The masked man dropped down on one knee, ducking under the last swing as his other leg swept out in a graceful motion, connecting with the back of Nina's knee. The next minute she knew, she was staring at the ceiling with the wooden pole out of her reach before being forced down by a foot pressed down against her chest. " And this is who I'm fighting, 'the world's greatest assassin'. As far as I'm seeing right now, I don't think that title belongs to you anymore."

Nina rose both of her arms as she gripped onto the man's ankle, violently twisting it as her enemy shouted in pain, a sickening snap rung through the woman's ears. She then grabbed onto his shin as she turned her hips, pulling him to hit his face into the wall. Nina turned her hips again and caused the man to fall on the floor on his back, hitting the back of his head on the corner of the large, wooden table in the room. The woman took opportunity of this situation and leaped onto the man, taking his claw arm as she twisted it to a lock to the point in which another snap rung in her ears; she was going to torture this man into submission. She flipped him over on his face and took his other leg, bending it back to a far length.

" Who are you, and what do you want?! " She shouted in a demanding tone once more, her only reply was a heavy set of laughter, a sinister, cold set.

" You should already know there's no point in telling you now. " The man broke out of Nina's grip, flinging his leg back and forth as it smashed into Nina's nose, blood slowly trickling from one of her nostrils as red drops stained her buttoned shirt as the woman was knocked down on her back, lying next to her opponent who tried to roll away. She was not going to let him get away, and she was going to make sure of that. Nina pressed her body off the ground as she snatched the male's ponytail, twisting her wrist as the braided lock of hair started around her fist. Shouting another battle cry at the high tops of her lungs, she gripped the back of his head and swung his body, tossing him into the television set as the TV and shelves were knocked over and began to collapse.

She had him on all fours now, and taking the chance she kicked him between the legs again, receiving a painful groan as Nina picked him up from the ground as took a grip onto his neck, shifting her hips left to right over and over again to the point when another snapping louder than the others sounded through the room; she had finally defeated her opponent, his body limp and lifeless. The woman threw the corpse aside as it landed on its back, Nina leaned over to remove the mask. The man seemed to be of Asian descent and icy-blue irises had widened in shock as Nina had recognized his face.

Feng Wei; one of China's deadliest assassins. Nina had heard of the story in which he murdered his master and went on the run, craving power in order to be the strongest as he took out many fighters along his path. Nina had suddenly came across that path, and it turned out that Feng had met a dead end.

Nina began to pant heavily as she dropped down on all fours. After a few minutes of sucking in deep breaths empty of oxygen, she stood up, once more shouting a cry of anger as she kicked the side of Feng's head; this was the fifth attack this week, for many other assailants before Feng had tried to take Nina out whenever they had a chance. Whenever she was walking home, at the store, in the shower, or even at the movies, she was growing sick of this, and what bothered her the most was how long this would go on.

Walking down the hallway, Nina turned the doorknob and opened the door, dragging her body to her bed as she threw herself onto the large cushion and began to shut her eyes. For now, she could care less if she woke up to find a dead man in her living room; all she wanted was rest, and the heavy pouring of the rain and rumbling of the thunderstorm were the last to wake her up anytime soon.


	2. Watch Your Back

Daylight broke out as the sun gleamed through between the shades of the bedroom window. Nina woke up with the radiance crashing upon her face, her vision blurred as she couldn't make out the figure that stood at the end of her bed. She began to wipe the sleep from her eyes and blink them as she finally noticed the figure; a young woman, with blond hair like Nina's used to be, but was wrapped into a bun with two pins stuck in. She wore an bandage on her right eye with a red bow tie, along with a blue, frilly skirt dress, and white boots. The woman had stood in a bored posture with her arms crossed; pen in one hand with a clipboard pressed against her chest.

" It's good to see you awake and well, Miss Williams. " She had greeted with a straight face, removing her arms from her chest as she began to write on the clipboard. " May I call you Nina? If that is okay ? " She had seemed to have a very soft Italian accent.

" Sure, whatever. " Nina struggled to rise her body from the comforting layer under her back as last night's battle had worn her out. " And you are -- "

" Emily Rochefort, but you can call me Lili. " The other female had put out her hand in front of Nina, introducing herself in polite mannerism and tone as Nina shook her hands. " Let me help you up. I can tell you had a rough night from you...know..." Lili took a tight grip of Nina's hand and gently pulled her up from the bed. " Can you walk ? " Nina turned to Lili and nodded her head. " Good. You can go freshen yourself up if you want. I'll be waiting outside. "

Lili turned away from and escorted herself out of the bedroom, Nina looking at her back as she walked away before Lili turned back around. " Don't worry. I'm not one of those scoundrels you've been dealing with lately. " She turned back towards the door and Nina lowly gasped under her breath; how did she now that she was being attacked for the past few weeks ? What was important to know was who is this woman?

* * *

Stepping out of the shower and drenched, Nina grabbed a towel from the sink and dried herself off, wrapping it around her body as she slipped on the robe that laid on the sink also and tied the strap around her body. She then stepped out of the bathroom and headed toward the living room, soon stopping in her tracks; everything was put back in place. The couch was back in place and the television set was fixed along with the lamp. The only thing that was different was that more men in suits were scanning her living room, searching everywhere for bugs and cameras or anything that kept an eye on Nina unbeknown to her attention. Along with that, a long and huge bag with a zipper attached was laid out on the table.

Lili was sitting on the couch with pen in hand, writing on the clipboard while Nina walked over and sat next to her. " I see you fixed yourself up, Nina. " She faced the girl with a smile before turning back to the chalkboard. " Now let's get to business, shall we ? " Nina rose an eyebrow at Lili with a confused face.

" Business? "

" Why, yes. About those ruffians who have been trying to take your life, of course. " Lili let go a small giggle before Nina rose another eyebrow; this girl was giggling about crazed hitmen determined to take her life and she didn't find that funny. " Now explain to me what had happened during these past attacks. "

Nina began to speak as she told Lili the story; how she almost had her head blown clean off by the clerk in a convenience store, how she had to hide in an alley for hours on end because bullets were flying at her from building rooftops, how a man broke into her home and tried to drown her while she was in the shower, how someone foolishly attempted to snipe her in the movies with surrounding witnesses, and now how she was nearly killed by a man who was almost successful in taking her life unlike the other assailants.

" Well my, that's very terrible. " Lili had clasped a hand over her slightly dropped jaw, her lips curving into a frown before placing her hand back on the clipboard. Nina stared at Lili for a while before taking notice of the bandage over her right eye.

" What happened to your eye? " The woman had pointed when Lili had placed a hand over her bandaged eye.

" Oh, well there was an accident when I was twelve years old. My father is a very wealthy oil tycoon, and so then I was kidnapped for ransom. " The younger woman began to sunk her head, as if she was too ashamed to tell the story. " During the limo ride, I struggled to break free and a violent nature had came over me. I ended up knocking the driver unconscious and leaping out the limo before it crashed and exploded into flames. Soon, I got into a brawl with one of the henchmen when another one came from behind and struck me with a blunt object. "

" I'm sorry to hear that. " The tone of Nina's voice was smothered in at least a bit of sympathy; she was never the sensitive type. " And that's what happened to your eye? "

" Yes, as I am blind in just this eye, but enough about me. That was four years ago as I remember. "

Nina lowly gasped under her breath; this girl was only sixteen, a minor. What was she to know of such a situation like this? " You're only sixteen? "

The young woman had let out another giggle. " Why, of course. It's because of my height, isn't it? " She did have to admit; Lili was tall for her age. " I'm only 5"9 -- "

" Cut the crap. " The assassin's voice went from a sympathetic tone to a serious one. " Who are you, and why are you here? " She did not notice that the men in suits had ceased in their duties, turning around to face the couch where the two women had sat.

" You're right. I apologize for my behavior, Nina -- "

" That's _Miss Williams _to you. " The expressions of the suits' faces twisted to frowns and slightly gritted teeth, each man reaching into the pocket of his professional jacket. Nina knew what they were going to do, and Lili rose a gloved hand as the men held their positions. " Shouldn't you be in school, little girl? "

" If I were to be in school, I wouldn't be here trying to save your life, now would I? " The smirk of Lili's face posed as a taunt, and Nina rose a hand of her own. Soon, the open palm was ready to be swung across Lili's cheeks when a huge hand tightened around Nina's wrist, the older woman wincing in a small fit of pain. Lili still sat in her position, not even unflinching once.

" I suppose 'Daddy' never taught you any manners, did he? " Nina struggled at least once to be break free, but it seemed to be no point as the man was a colossal compared to her.

" Has _your _daddy ever taught you any manners? " Lili stuck out her tongue, then gave the older woman the finger.

" Oh, that's it, you little bitch! " Nina brought up another hand and balled it into a fist, ready to pound it into Lili's nose when the guard holding her snatched her hand. Soon, the larger man dragged the woman off the couch onto her feet while Lili got up from the couch onto her feet as well. " You're really starting to act like that twelve year old brat right now ! "

" My, my, that's not how a lady should act. " The teenager started to wag her finger with a smirk.

" Shut your mouth, you little hypocrite. " Nina growled between grinding teeth when she felt a harsh kick on the back of her shin, grunting in pain.

Lili turned away from Nina as she pushed up the sleeve of her dress, staring at the watch on her wrist before facing the woman again. " Why, look at the time. I suppose we've overstayed our welcome, but before we go, please let me show me something, _Miss Williams._ " The teenager stepped over the table and pulled the zipper of the large bag lying on the table. Nina paused for a few second and recognized the bag -- it was a body bag, with a very large body inside of it. " Miss Williams, do you recognize this person ? "

Nina stretched her head over to see the contents inside, with her jaw then slightly dropping. " What the -- " It was the body of Feng Wei's; the man who had attacked her last night.

Lili crouched down to the table and reached for something under it, then stood up again and walked over to the restrained Nina. " I assume this is why you didn't kill him the first time. " She rose up her arm with a bulletproof vest in hand, rounds of bullets planted into the back of it. " Quite clumsy of you, isn't it? "

" Isn't it about past your nap time ? " Nina pouted at Lili in a taunting manner of her own, who just scoffed and brush the bangs from her face.

" I'm starting to think you're not serious about this situation, am I correct? "

" Well, you seem to be the one to talk. " Nina felt a relieve of pressure on her wrists as the guard restraining her ceased his grips, the woman began to massage both her wrists as Lili headed towards the door.

" It was nice chatting with you, Miss Williams. " Two guards stepped over to the table and closed the zipper of the body bag, picking it up by both ends as they escorted themselves out the door. " But remember these words, dear. " Lili only turned her head to face Nina once more. " They are after you, and they won't stop until they get what they want, so _watch. your. back. _" She turned away and stepped out the door with the suits following her, the last man shutting the door behind him. Nina stretched as she let out a sigh and tossed her body onto the couch.

" Now I've gotten rid of her..." She snatched the television remote off the table and extended her arm towards the TV. "...maybe I can relax -- "

Suddenly a boom had sounded throughout the entire apartment, the sound had made Nina jump as she rolled off the couch, scrambling to get off the floor and rushing over to the window. It was an explosion; the other apartment building across from Nina's was surrounded in a sea of smokes and flames, with a large hole marked in the middle of the building and the citizens below screaming in fear and terror.

* * *

_" They are after you, and they won't stop until they get what they want...so watch. your. back. "_

Nina laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank face as if she was in a trance. She got herself up from the bed and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand; it was already 2 AM, and Nina began to groan in frustration before the alarm of a ringing phone caught her attention. Irritated, she picked up her cell phone lying by the clock and took it to her ear. " Hello ? "

" Hello, are you Nina Williams by any chance? " A british voice presumed to be a woman's answered.

" Yes, this is she. "

" Oh, good. I seem to have a job for you, Miss Williams. "


	3. Pool Party

The large pool was the first thing to be seen in sight behind the Mishima Mansion, the huge bowl of water gleamed in the sun with stone pillars surrounding it. Nina slipped on a pair of sunglasses and waltzed down the stone steps, her eyes scanning the area only to find a man lying on a lawn-chair.

Heihachi Mishima was laid out upon the chair, despite being in his 70's he was still very muscular and largely built. He had his leg crossed and his hands together against his chest all in a relaxed manner. Nina pushed her glasses down to see if it was really him, recognizing that he barely aged, but winced at his attire. Her face scrunched up in a motion of disgust as she noticed the elder only wearing a thong, the same one he wore in the forth tournament. Nina forced herself to swallow the bit of vomit in her throat as the shades failed to censor the horrifying sight.

The woman who had called Nina from last night hired her to take out Heihachi, for the Zaibatsu had sent her father's company into bankruptcy and taken it over. Another Mishima move. Not surprised, Nina just sighed and walked over to the elder man, who took off his sunglasses and turn to his left to face the woman.

" Ah, Miss Williams. How may I help you on this day? "

All the woman could do was let out a small chuckle before answering his question. " You should already know why I'm here. Don't play stupid. "

" I'm not playing anything. I really wasn't expecting your appearance anytime soon. " He flipped himself onto his stomach, revealing his exposed, toned backside. Nina was ready to blown chunks; luckily Heihachi wasn't ridden of wrinkles like any other man his age, but still he was _old. _Not one of those young muscle men posing in skimpy garments that any woman would drool over and throw money at, a man in old age who should be prohibited from wearing a thong in this lifetime.

" Well, I'm here now, am I? " She swallowed the bit of vomit in her throat once again and reached for something in the back of her skirt. " And ready to -- " She stopped and patted her backside. Her gun was missing, and as she turned around it was pointed right in her face, along with many other guns aimed at her.

" Why, aren't we off our game, Nina? " Heihachi got up from the chair and started to circle around Nina. " This isn't like your many other attempts. " He waved his hand in the air and the men in suits took many steps back, with the other reaching down his thong. The assassin was highly disturbed right now; she was aching to have Heihachi be charged for indecent exposure right now. Soon he removed his hand from his groin and held the handle of sword, the weapon withdrew a large portion of a blade as it formed into a large cleaver.

" Maybe I wanted to try a new approach. " Nina took a few steps back while Heihachi crept towards her as he single-handed the gigantic blade. She tried to keep her composure but couldn't; she was unarmed now and couldn't actually fight him head on without losing an arm.

" Well I'm sorry to inform you this, Nina, " Heihachi moved himself into a squating stance, legs apart with arms above his head, wielding the sword. " but your attempt has failed, and your time is up ! "

Without hesitation, he charged towards Nina as the woman cartwheeled backwards out of the path of Heihachi's rampage, just seconds before he had brought down his sword. The blade had cut the chair in half with little effort, leaving a dumbfounded Nina in fear. The assault had just begun and Heihachi resumed his attack. Swinging his weapon in a barbaric manner, he destroyed chair after chair as Nina leaped over them. She hopped over the last one before she ran as fast as her heels could take her, and looked over her shoulder to see Heihachi catching up.

" Rule number one: No running by the pool! " Right on her heels, the madman swung the cleaver with an angry cry and the woman ducked over its blade as it missed her by inches and dug itself into the pillar. Heihachi emitted a few grunts while trying to remove the weapon but to no avail. Taking the opportunity, his opponent sent a flurry of kicks to ribs down to below the belt, causing the man to stumble back and clutch onto the region below his stomach and his ribs. " You'll pay for that, bitch ! "

" Try me! " The assassin charged towards the elder man with a smug look before Heihachi took his bare foot and smashed it against the ground, the concrete shattering under it. Nina almost lost her balance and fell to the ground before she was snatched by the neck.

" Where's your little, smug look now, Williams? " The man held the woman in the air with a evil grin, volts of electricity emitted from his body as he crushed every bit of air out of Nina's body while she kicked the air in desperation. " How about you come back when you're ready to fight ?! " And with that said, Heihachi flung Nina away as if she was a mere toy and her body crashed into the pool with a large splash." Hmph. You've lost your touch, Miss Williams. " He walked away while three of his henchman rushed over to him.

" Are you alright, Mr. Mishima? " One of the henchman asked while handing a robe to Heihachi, who looked back at the pool and saw Nina floating at the surface, inhaling every bit of oxygen she could get.

" You know what ? I won't be needing that. " The elder Mishima put up his hand to reject the robe, and bent over to remove his thong. The three men jumped at the sights as their faces twisted in horror.

Nina ceased in her inhaling when she saw Heihachi no longer in his bathing suit, standing tall in his pride and glory. _" What. The. Hell? "_ She felt her eyes had deceived her as she begun to rub them, then look back at the man. She wasn't hallucinating. The repulsive view in front of her was real.

" How about a little skinny-dipping, Williams?! " Heihachi let out a loud, hearty laugh before he dove in the pool. Nina inhaled another amount of oxygen before she swung her body back into the water. Nina paddled as fast as her arms and leg could take her, with her attacker in hot pursuit. Soon she made it to the other end of the pool and scrambled to climb out, but she felt something gripped onto her ankles and pulled her back in.

" _You're really disappointing, Williams? " _Heihachi mentally told himself as he suffocated Nina, hands around her throat while the woman struggled to break free. The assassin was just being chased by a old man in a thong, waving a cleaver, and now he was going to drown her. Her life couldn't end here, and that was the last thing that was going to happen.


	4. I don't need your help

**Author's note:** I want to thank Thunderxtw for the tips and criticism!

_" Sucks, doesn't it, Miss Williams? " _Heihachi mentally said to himself as he continued to choke the assassin. _" Is this your approach, Williams? Dying a pitiful death? Humph! " _His grip tightened once more around his opponent before the woman's struggling expression vanished, her arms went limp and her legs stopped kicking. Chuckling to himself in his head, he released Nina's body as it began to slowly sink.

Heihachi pulled his body out of the pool, then turned around to see Nina's body rise to the surface. Though happy about his victory, he didn't show it, with a angry frown upon his face. "You're pathetic, Miss Williams. " He turned away when his henchman ran over to him while one of them offered him a robe. " Get that away from me! " He snapped at the man in a repulsed manner. " Go see if the woman's dead." He commanded as the men surrounded the pool, katanas and pistols were pointed at the water.

One of the men reached to grab Nina's shoulders, reeling the body closer to him. Just as he was about to pull her out, the woman's eyes shot open and she grasped onto the man's neck, pulling him into the water with her. Immediately the men with pistols readied their firearms and began firing at the spot where the other man grabbed Nina's body. Soon the shots had ceased and a body rose to the surface; it wasn't Nina's, for it was the same man with holes planted into his back while blood started to swarm the pool.

" Mr. Heihachi! " One of the suits called out to Heihachi while he turned to face his direction. " The woman! She's ali-- " Before he could finish, a bullet shot straight through the back of his head, the man dropping his gun. Dragging her body out of the pool, Nina snatched the pistol off the ground. Looking up, she rolled out of the way of a kick, and fired several bullets at her attacker's chest, killing him. She got up and started running again, racing around the pool while dodging the bullets fired at her heels. Glaring at the men ahead of her, Nina leaped over the mob as the rain of bullets assaulting her missed by seconds and carved through the other henchmen.

" Gotta do a lot more than that to take me out! " Landing on the ground before running again, Nina felt one of the bull the back of her shoulder, causing her to drop one of her pistols and stumble to the ground on one knee. She looked as the other attackers were closing in, and checking her pistols, they were empty of ammo. " Damn. " Nina groaned as she saw Heihachi's cleaver in front of her and tossed the other pistol aside. The assassin groaned as she picked up the weapon, as it was too heavy for her, even when held with both hands. Soon she gathered up the strength and charged at the group, swinging the sword like a savage as it slashed many of the men in front of her. Nina raced to the other side of the pool, mowing down every adversary that tried to take her on.

" To think she was dead! " Heihachi gritted his teeth in a mode of irritation, three men armed with katanas stood in front of him. " Go! Bring me the woman's head! " He pointed at Nina over by the pool as the sword-wielding trio dashed over to her direction, only to be slaughtered and robbed of their arms and limbs.

" Now bring who's head, exactly? " Nina said in a arrogant tone, which irritated Heihachi even more.

" You bitch, I'll make you suffer! " Picking up one of the katanas on the ground, the old man charged at the woman like a lunatic, but he stopped in his tracks at the sound of a thousand gunshots and collapsed on his face. Nina gasped at the sight of bullet wounds tattooed into Heihachi's back, then looked up to see Lili standing at the steps with a submachine gun in hand.

" That brings an end to that. " Adjusting her glasses, the teenager sauntered over to her victim's corpse and kicked the body over. " I guess we have to make you somewhat presentable at the morgue. " Frowning, Lili took a handkerchief from the sleeve of her dress and placed it over Heihachi's face. Her eyes accidentally wondered to his bare nether regions and yelped at the sight, then snatched the handkerchief off the man's face and placed it over his lap. " As if you could do anything with something so small. "

" What the hell are you doing here? " Nina questioned the younger female.

" Seeing that you've went on a barbaric warpath. Not such polite actions for a lady. " Lili smirked back at the other woman. " But it's better to have other people do your work for you. "

" What are you talking about? "

All Lili did was sigh before speaking. " 'Hello, Miss Williams? I seem to have a job for you.' " She spoke in the same British accent Nina heard last night. " Rings a bell, doesn't it? "

" You're the woman who called me last night?! " As her grips tightened around the cleaver, Nina was ready to slice Lili's head clean off her shoulder.

" Why so fiesty, Nina? I thought you were used to doing other people's dirty work? " Lili fanned herself with her hand. " Please don't tell me you forgot who you are. "

" Forgot who I am? "

" You are an assassin, Nina. You're supposed to do other people's crap, but I guess getting your ass handed to you every now and then had made you forget, like what this man did to you. " Lili turned back to Heihachi's body, clinching her fist. " And what he did to my father. "

" What are you talking about -- "

" This man stole my father's company! " Lili's mood suddenly swung from her calm composure to an angry rage. " My father was a oil tycoon.... " She struggled to speak while she fought back tears. "...and this old bastard took everything from us! " She stomped her boot before pausing at a sound of someone else's voice.

" It...wasn't me...who.... " Heihachi groaned in ache through his words.

" Shut up! " The younger girl walked over to Heihachi and smashed her heel into his stomach. " I forbid you to speak! " She applied force as Heihachi began to cough up bits of blood. " You don't realize what the stress you sent him through! "

" Miss Rochefort, it wasn't -- " Heihachi stopped speaking as Lili stomped on his stomach again with more force. " Please...listen to me-- "

" Enough with your damn lie! " Her voice was becoming higher and higher while the heavy tears poured down her face. " My father killed himself because what you did! That company was his dream, his everything! " Lili sniffled as she aimed the gun at his face. " And you're going to join him. "

" Wait! Please don't kill me! I'll give you anything, anything! "Heihachi's pleading words did nothing to change Lili's mind, for he knew by the tears of her face and her index finger ready on the trigger.

" Nothing you could do can bring my father back....goodbye, Heihachi Mishima. "

Knowing that this couldn't go on any further, Nina sped towards Lili and smashed her elbow into the side of her face, and soon Lili found herself staring at the sky in shock as she dropped her gun. The girl scrambled off the ground and crawled on all fours towards the firearm before Nina kicked it away.

" What the hell do you think you're doing, Nina?! "

" Sorry brat, but that's my line. " Nina stared down at the fallen girl, who pounded her fist onto the concrete.

" You don't understand...you don't know a damn thing what it's like to lose the very person you cared about! You're nothing but a heartless bitch, a monster! " As soon as those very words broke out of Lili's mouth, her only reply was a sharp kick to the chin that sent the girl on her back again. Nina hovered over the teenager before yanking the collar of her dress.

" You know _nothing _about me. " The older woman said through gritted teeth. " My father is _dead_. He was the leader of an Irish mafia and he was assassinated by a rival gang. He was the one person I cared and he's gone. " Unlike Lili, Nina had an inability to create waterworks. " And you tell me that I don't know what it's like ? " Her voice became lower and lower as each word was spoken. " My father was the very man who made me into the very woman I am today, the so-called-heartless-bitch-of a monster you say I am! So get your shit straight before you start talking it! "

With that said, Nina rose her free arm and crushed her hand into a fist, taking it to Lili's cheek before releasing the dress collar. " And by the way, I don't need your help, so find some other sap that wants your company. '' She turned away from Lili and power walked towards the mansion gate. Lili struggled to get off the ground and cuffed her struck cheek, wiping away the blood from the corner of her mouth.

" You'll pay for this, bitch. " Anger soothed Lili's words. " You will pay. "

* * *

Nina laid on the couch while she flipped through various channels on the television and sighed to herself. " I hope to God I'll never see that brat again. " A knock came from the door and Nina began to groan. " Ah crap, what now? " She forced herself off the couch and stomped towards the door, upon opening it revealed a man of asian descent in a police uniform who stood behind it. " May I help you, officer? "

" Good evening, I'm Lei Wulong. " The man introduced himself with a stern look. " Nina Williams, you are under arrest for the attempt murder of Heihachi Mishima. "


	5. Secret Lover

Her eyes had been staring at the grey wall in front of her for the past four hours. She swore she was going to stuff Lili in a body bag the next time she saw her. Legs crossed, Nina crossed her arms as she shivered from the cold temperature of the holding cell, for she only wore a pair of shorts and a shirt.

_" I swear I'm going to wring her neck the next time I see her..."_

She turned to look outside her cell, only to see a burly man with a rough appearance ogle at her across from her cell on the other side of the room. Visibly irritated, Nina rose her middle finger and glared coldly at the man, who quickly turned and faced the other direction. Her eyes then scanned the office, landing onto Lei who was glaring at her with a cold look of his own.

" You like what you do? " He called out to Nina, who jumped at the broken silence.

" Excuse me? "

" Do you like taking innocence lives? " He asked the woman once again.

" I didn't kill him -- "

" Luckily you didn't. " Lei grabbed the mug of coffee on his desk and took a sip before he put it back. " The bullets didn't hit anything vital. Lucky you. "

" Lucky me? " Nina questioned the law officer in an angry tone. " I was framed! "

" Framed my ass! " The cop pounded his fist onto his desk as he caught the coffee mug seconds before it almost spilled onto the scattered paperwork. " Your fingerprints were everywhere, Miss Williams! The pistols and everything! "

Though Nina couldn't believe what was happening, she knew Lei did have a point. Her prints were on the pistols, but that was the only thing besides from the cleaver. However speaking this could put her in an even worse position. All she did in response was sigh and shook her head, which enraged Lei even more.

" That's it? " Lei growled at the woman as he reached his hand between the bars of the cell and snatched the collar of Nina's shirt, bringing her closer to him. " That's all you have to say, bitch? " Nina cringed as bits of spit flew onto her cheek and in an furious manner, reached her own hand through the bars and grabbed the side of Lei's head, clutching onto locks of hair as she slammed the side of his face onto the bars.

" You know what, officer? I already had one little girl call me a bitch today, and I don't need another one telling me the same thing. " Nina felt a sense of pride in herself, but also felt Lei's hands wrapped tightly around her neck. She struggled to break free from the suffocating grip as she held onto his wrists, then reeled the man towards her and caused Lei hit his face on the bars with a bang and herself to fall to the ground. Lei stumbled against his desk as he wiped away the blood that dripped from his nostrils.

" Having fun in your little catfight, Officer Wulong? "

Lei turned around to a see a brunette in a police uniform with his arms crossed who stood in a disappointed manner before he walked over to Nina's cell. " You're free to go, Miss Williams. Seems that you weren't the only person at the scene. "

Lei stomped his foot and became speechless. " What? You're letting this murderer go?! "

" Mr. Wulong, it's been discovered that on one of the surveillance cameras around the Mishima Mansion that one of Heihachi's guard attempted to shoot Miss Williams, followed by Heihachi himself attacking her with a large cleaver, then attempting to drown her. " The chief took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the cell door. " The next minute Miss Williams fought back in self-defense and soon another woman came from behind Heihachi and gunned him down. "

" Are you fucking kidding me?! " Lei snapped at the superior officer.

" Calm yourself down, Wulong. " The chief shot a irritable look at the other man, who regained his composure. " Afterwards, the unknown woman tried to finish Heihachi off, which then led to Miss Williams rushing in to stop the woman. "

" But she still committed murder! She'd slaughtered those men! "

" I said calm down, Mr. Wulong. Please don't make me tell you again. " The chief became aggravated by Lei's behavior as Nina got up from the floor and stepped out of the cell. " As for you, Miss Williams. You are being placed under hundred and twenty hours on house arrest and a month probation, since Mr. Heihachi hadn't made any charges against you. Just be lucky _we're_ not charging you for any degree of murder."

Nina just shrugged and didn't complain; it was only a week's house arrest and she wasn't going to jail. However, what made it worse was that soon her attackers would know where she live, and there would be no place for her to run.

" Well, anyway you're free to go now, Miss Williams. Your son is out in the lobby waiting for you. "

"_ Oh great. _" She nodded to the chief as she walked away. "_ Now how do I explain this one? "_

" But this doesn't make any sense! " Lei was ready to yank out locks of his own hair. " She's still a fucking murderer! She shouldn't even be allowed to walk out of this damn building! " He didn't even notice the line of blood that dripped from his nose down on his shirt and the floor.

" In my office, Wulong. " The chief rose an arm and pointed to the door behind him. Lei's rage had worn him out as he snatched a Kleenex from his desk and took it to his nose. The man turned around and marched towards the office ahead of him as his superior followed.

_**=8=**_

Lei was right; this whole thing did not make sense, and Nina was surprised herself that she was able to leave police custody. She thought to herself that it was maybe because she was only to be charged for Heihachi's attempted murder, and the old man didn't even place any charges at all. However, it didn't meant that she would be want to be in a jail cell. It didn't matter now; she was on a car ride home now and not on the way to a prison. Soon a voice broke her train of thought.

" Mother. " Steve spoke to Nina in a serious tone. " Do you mind telling me what happened? "

Nina didn't respond. She remained in silence and started to think to herself again; even though this fiasco was behind her, it still bugged her.

" Mother. " Steve snapped Nina out of her thoughts again. " Tell me what happened -- "

" It's nothing, Steve. " Nina glared at her son as he stopped in her front of the apartment building. She opened the door and stepped out of the car before Steve called out to her. " Mother, please be safe, okay? " Nina turned around and faced Steve, who had a concerned look of his face. She responded with a nod and a forced smile before she turned away as Steve drove off.

The assassin sighed to herself; for once, she felt a bit guilty about lying to her son about what really happened. It had been months since Steve had been looking for her, and he already sees her as a caring, wonderful woman now that he found her; she didn't want to tell him the truth that his mother is a contract killer. The next minute Nina tapped herself on the side of her head and shook her head; this was no time for her to become sensitive. It was how her father disciplined her; to be a cold and heartless fighter, a emotionless warrior with the lack of a heart.

The same heartless-bitch-of-a-monster that Lili claimed her to be. Nina then kicked herself in the shin. She didn't want to have anything to do with that girl anymore, thought or presence.

_**=8=**_

It was already Day 3. The third day of the house arrest. Nina groaned as she tossed and turned on the couch, growing bored as the minutes went by. For the past two days, all Nina has done was doing push-ups and sit-ups while practicing her kicks and punches. It had been a while since she won the last tournament and she hasn't fought anyone in months. All Nina needed was that bastard Kazama to commence another tournament while she couldn't even step out of the door without receiving a court date.

Nina got up from the couch and stretched, then moved into her aikido stance with her arms in front of her. Extending her hands forward, she swung her arms as she attacked the air with knife-hand strikes, slaps, and punches. Suddenly the woman stopped at the sound of the television and turned around. " It's the police chief. "

_" __Well you see, our superior officers had been informed that Wulong botched the operation of bringing the crime syndicate to justice, due to 'personal affairs' affecting his performance on the mission. "_

_" What do you mean by, 'personal affairs'? "_

_" Lei had rivals on the forces, who told us that his live-in girlfriend broke up with him for being a workaholic, and she left him for his assistant. " _The chief had some pity for the man in his voice, his tone became a bit lower than it was.

_" Do you know that Office Wulong's failure cost the police force two years of intense undercover investigation work? "_

_" Yes, I do, and it's a very unfortunate matter. Office Wulong will be placed on a month's suspension for his actions. "_

Nina tossed herself back onto the couch before bursting out an evil laughter, clutching her stomach as she rolled off the couch and onto the carpet. The assassin felt a bit of victory though she had done nothing to affect the situation. She felt even more joy when she saw Lei come into the picture being restrained by two other officers, a wide grin plastered on her face. " Don't worry, baby. I'm sure the inmates on C-block will know which way you like it. "

_" Luckily for the police force, the crime syndicate has been taken down despite of the botched operation... "_

The next minute she stopped; she looked back at the television. It was the same syndicate that Nina had been working for as a contract assassin. Nina pushed herself off the floor and ended up on all fours, mouth slightly agape with an shocked expression aimed at the television screen. " Crraaappp... " She stood up and ran her hands through her hair before placing them on her hips. " Great. Now I'm out of a job. " The woman let out a small chuckle before glancing at the screen once more. " At least he's out of a job too. "

* * *

" Isn't this a bitch? " Lei removed his badge from his shirt and placed it onto the desk, head drooped before he raised it to make eye contact with his superior.

" And your gun. " The chief rose a finger and pointed at Lei's belt, who snatched the gun out of his belt holster and laid it on the desk as well. " For now on, I don't wanna hear a word about you interfering with police business, got it Wulong? "

" Got it. " The temporary ex-officer groaned and dropped his head again. He turned around to face the door and walked out of the room, not shutting the door behind him. The sounds of mocking and tormenting laughter rang through Lei's ears the second he stepped out of the office. He felt as if he had lost touch with insanity, that everything was going straight to hell, that he would turn out to be those people who come to the workplace and slaughter the other employees in an act of revenge.

Lei stepped out of the exit door and walked down the small steps as he made it into the parking garage, only to see a girl with long black hair and a all-black attire. She seems to be in her teens, wearing a mini skirt, a tank top, spiked bracelets, and high boots. " Who are you? "

" I don't think that's important right now. " The girl responded with an Italian accent. Lei gasped when he didn't notice the limo and the army of men in swat suits that stood behind her.

" Wait, where did you get all these men from -- " Lei stopped in the middle of his sentence when the goth held a large wad of money in his face.

" When you have money like this, you can do anything you want. " The girl let out a small giggle before putting the money away in her skirt pocket. " I see that we have some business with you, Mr. Wulong, business about your "secret lover" ? "

Lei gritted his teeth and stormed pass the girl. " I don't know what you're talking about. "

" Don't play dumb, now. " The goth turned around and began to follow the man. " What was his name?...Feng Wei, correct? " She rose her hand and cuffed her chin while tilting her head. " That mass murderer from China, slaughtering fighters and destroying dojos and what not? "

" Shut up! " Lei felt his eyes slowly become heavy, his clenched fist trembled as he fought back tears. " You don't know a damn thing! "

" Oh, I don't? " Keeping her distance, the teen slowly waltzed towards the older man. " I know that's another reason why your girlfriend left you, besides from being a workaholic. Am I right? " She rose an eyebrow at Lei as she knew he wouldn't be able to say anything back, because he would be choking on his words while saying them. " I know how it feels to lose someone special, and I can help you. I really can. "

Lei let out an heavy exhale before turning back to the girl. " And how can you do that? " He put up a gloved hand and wiped away the small tears from his eyes. The goth placed her hand on the ex-cop's shoulder.

" You see, I'm sure you want revenge on your lover's murderer...Nina Williams, correct? "

* * *

Nina gazed at the mirror as she admired her now platinum-silver hair, putting the hair dye away in the bathroom cabinet. " Perfect. " She ran her hands through her hair as she stepped out of the bathroom, fixing the dark indigo qipao Steve bought her. She never wore dresses like her sister did, and she groaned as a thought came to mind. " I don't know how the hell she can wear these things. " Nina mumbled under her breath while she adjust the knee-length dress.

For the past few days, everything turned out surprisingly fine; Nina hasn't been attacked and she realized she had been in peace ever since Feng tried to take her out. However, it was mostly because she was out of a job now, since the police force managed to take down her employers and she would no longer receive her "assignments". Nina sighed and pressed her back against the wall, for she faced the realization. Being an assassin, it was money in her pocket at the end of the day, and now she felt as if she didn't have a purpose in society.

A pound came upon the door and Nina was snapped out of her thoughts. She moaned before marching over to the door before she opened it. " Hi, may I help you -- " Before she could finish, she was greeted by the sole of a boot that forcibly pressed itself into her chest as it knocked its target down. Nina start to crawl backwards and got up from the floor, an army of men in swat suits barged through the door and surrounded her before one last man came in and shut the door behind him, locking it.

" I'm sure you remember me, Miss Williams." The man spoke in an serious manner. Nina squinted her eyes to make out the man's face through the lenses of his helmet and her mouth dropped soon after.

" Oh my god, you bastard! " The woman rose a finger and pointed it at the man, shouting at the top of her lungs. " Why the hell are you here? "

Lei shooked his head slowly before he faced the platinum-haired woman again. " I'm going to kick your murdering ass for everything you done! "

" What? You think losing your job was my fault? Please! " Nina clenched her fists and stomped her foot in aggravation. " And _you_ are going to kick _my ass_ ? "

" Yes, I am! " Lei put his hands together and cracked his knuckles while all the other men did the same. " And I'm gonna stuff you in a body bag and feed you to the fishes while I'm at it. "

Nina looked around the room and began to smirk while she admired the men surrounding them. The soldiers, including Lei himself, seem to be well built and their muscle slightly budging through their clothes proved it as well. " I appreciate the peep show here, but it's not my birthday. " Her grin grew wider in amusement, but quickly faded into a scowl, with eyes pressed on Lei, who tapped his foot in impatience.

" Any last words, Miss Williams? " Lei glared at the woman with his arm crossed against his chest; his only response was a small chuckle.

" In matter of fact, I do. " Nina started to grind her teeth and began to remove her earrings, then tossing the tiny accessories onto the table. " I have dealt with amnesia, fought millions of serial rapists and killers, even dealt with my persistent younger sister hunting me down for revenge, I will not let some sorry-ass excuse for a cop and his mob of gay bachelors take me out! " Nina shifted into her aikido stance.

" I love the forceful ones. " Lei put his arms up, his body moved side to side with the surrounding men putting their fist up as well. " They just make my job so much more fun. "

" I'm sorry to remind you, but you don't have a job. " Nina rolled her neck as a cracking sound was made. " You should blame your ex-girlfriend for that instead of me. "

* * *

Author's Note: There is nothing much to put here but a small commentary. I felt that Nina was somewhat OOC (out of character) in the past chapters and is probably still so far in my opinion. For Lei, however, he was intended to be an asshole in this.


	6. House Party

The large, living room was now crowded in silence, aside from being surrounded by the dozen of men in swat suits. For the past few minutes, Nina and Lei had been staring each down, neither fighter having moved an inch. The room was dim and poorly lit, and Nina was beginning to feel dumbfounded. She had never been in a fight that had pit her against the odds; her versus an entire mob. In fact, fighting head on was usually a last-result, for she was an assassin. Her style to take out her opposition from a distance within the shadows, and face to face tactics were rare options.

Nina was then snapped out of her thoughts by a boot to the gut and soon found herself on her back with Lei on top of her, while his gloved hands clutched around her throat. She hacked and gagged as she struggled to break free, losing oxygen by the seconds.

" What's the matter, bitch? " Lei growled with a angry look that could only be seen through the visor of his helmet. " Not so cocky now, are you? " Nina swung her arms up and clasped her hands onto his head with a tight grip before taking her forehead to it. Lei fell back off the woman who pushed herself off the carpeted floor while holding her forehead.

The next minute Nina felt a pair of arms go under hers while the wrists pressed against the back of her neck. The large man tightened his restraints while Nina shouted in pain. Using every ounce of strength in her body, she snatched the man's forearms and quickly bowed forward, pulling him from behind and tossing him over her. Lei slowly pulled himself up only to be pinned to the floor by the heavier man.

Soon some of the men reached for their weapons, wielding nightsticks while the other remained in their stances. Three soldier dashed towards the couch and leaped over it as Nina threw her body backwards, her back crashing onto the wooden table. She glared at the ceiling only to see one of them ready to bring down his weapon upon her. Seconds before it connected with her face, Nina grabbed the swung arm and twisted it into a lock before snatching the club and smashing it into her attacker's face, then throwing the blunt object aside.

The woman spun around and got up to her feet, immediately grabbing an attacking wrist. Nina kicked both of her legs up in the air and wrapped them around the man's arm, bringing to the table onto his chest and trapping him in an arm bar. She then bent her body and a snap was soon heard. Releasing the limp arm, Nina rolled backwards and stood up again, soon having the third man almost rushed her to the floor but regained her balance. Nina grabbed onto his head and took her knee to his solar plexus a few times before removing the helmet and smashing it into his scalp, knocking him down on his face and tossing the helmet aside.

The same larger man from earlier rushed Nina from behind and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a bear hug. Lei suddenly appeared in front of her and sent a flurry of punches to her chest, the impact inflicting pain on her ribs. He then began to throw kicks at her shins before taking the heel of his boot and grind it into her stomach with a grin on his face.

" I'm gonna make you suffer, once and for fall. " Lei raised a fist while removing his boot and took it to Nina's cheek with severe force. If the other man wasn't holding Nina back, she would've at least stumbled to the floor. He took off his helmet and let it drop on the carpet. " Having fun yet? " He moved into a snake-fighting stance and in a flash the tips of his fingers violently poked at her rib cage with heavy pressure. Nina begun to feel a swarm of numbness within her entire body as her pressure points were being assaulted, flinching at every hit. " I am. "

Lei let out a small laugh before taking a few steps back while still in his snake stance, then paused in his place as if he was a statue. " This is it, Nina. " The assassin knew that the next strike was readied for her throat like a snake itself, its venomous fangs eager to pierce the skin on its prey. " Now die! " Lei rushed for Nina with abrupt quickness, and the woman managed to break free of her restraints and duck, avoiding the fatal attack by luck and seconds. The hit pressed into the larger man's Adam's apple, who grabbed at his throat and doubled-over. He began to gag and roll around on the floor before his body went limp.

Nina stared at the soldier's helmet and only saw a river of red pour down his bare chest; Lei had killed his own comrade. " And he calls me a murderer. " She spun around at the sounds of a battle cry and rolled out of the way of a kick before rising to her feet. She weaved side to side as she dodged punches in the forms of claws, the way a tiger would attack its prey. Soon both of Lei's hands came at her and Nina snatched his wrists with his paws inches from her face.

" Sorry baby, but the party's over." She raised her knee and bashed it into Lei's stomach over and over again, then lifted his chin and smashed her forehead into his nose before forcing him to the floor with a kick. Nina started to jump up and down like a boxer warms himself up before his match, shaking off the numbness in her upper body that was close to swarming down to her legs. She then leaped over the fallen man and soon found herself surround by the remaining fighters.

It may have been like an army from the beginning, but there were only at least six fighters left. Nina had taken out three and Lei had unintentionally killed another, so practically there were ten soldiers to start with. One of the fighters charged at the woman, who swiftly stepped to the side and took a grip onto the attacking arm. She then raised an elbow and connected it with her attacker's chin before mating her knee with his stomach, then gave the arm a sickening twist. All Nina earned was a painful cry before spinning him around and throwing him into three other men; there was two left now.

The duo started to circle around her, with the woman standing between them, no one have budged at all. The next minute both men ran for her as she ducked onto one knee, extending her other leg in a graceful form and dragged it across the floor in an arch, somehow sweeping both men off their feet at the same time. Nina soon risen and snatched the stun gun from one of the fallen soldiers' belts, then jabbed it into his stomach. She knew that the electricity and sweat combined would do some damage.

The assassin turned around only to have the device knocked out of her hand with a kick, before ducking as another flew over her head. Nina sped after her opponent and tackled him to the floor, pounding at his chest as she turned her fists into hammers attacking his rib cage. Suddenly she became exhausted, panting heavily. A hand reached for her ponytail and yanked to her feet.

" You bitch, I'm going to kill you if it's the last thing I do! " Lei was highly pissed now; he was determined to kill Nina, and if his subordinates failed to do so, then he would be damned if he weren't going to do it himself.

" I thought you would've done that by now! " Nina swung her arm back as the back of her fist smacked Lei's cheek. She twirled around and begun throwing her palm strikes at his face, the raging flurry of slaps had pinned her opposition against the wall. Soon she snatched him by his own ponytail and threw him down on his stomach. Lei struggled to get himself on all fours and looked over his shoulder, eyes glaring into icy blue irises.

" You...you're gonna pay for this...for everything you did! " Lei shouted with his head down, slamming his fist on the carpet. Nina just shook her head and smirked at the defeated man.

" You mean this? " She rushed over with her legs kicked back before swinging it forward with severe momentum, and her foot crashed into the area between Lei's legs with damaging force. The kick had sent him forward onto his back and Lei moaned loudly in pain. He felt as if his pelvic bone had snapped and that the protective cup he wore had failed to do its purpose.

" What the hell is going on here?! " Nina jumped at the sound of a voice, as several more men in swat suits and male nurse uniforms barged in.

" _Shit. _" She told herself before turning around, but became surprised when she saw a familiar brunette male. " You're the police chief -- "

" Officer Micheal Garnette. " The male stepped over to Nina as the other men dragged the fallen officers out the doors in handcuffs while the paramedics carried others on stretchers. " I'm sure you've remember me a few days ago. "

" Yeah, I do. " Nina forced herself to calm down with adrenaline still pumped within her. " I'm sure you know something about this. " She raised an arm and pointed at the fallen Lei.

" No, I don't. In fact, we were just on our way to check on you during your probation. " Officer Garnette rubbed the back of his neck before turning to Lei as well. " I see you have company. " He let out a small chuckle and turned to Nina, but stopped when he saw the glare the woman shot at him.

" For your information, Officer, I was attacked. I'm sure that's pretty obvious. " Nina aimed a finger at her face, pointing out the smear of blood on the corner of her mouth. " But I handled it pretty well."

Garnette looked around the room and saw a series of injured men scattered across the floor. " I see. 'Guess you had fun, didn't you? " Two officers picked up Lei from off the floor, restraining him while twisting his arms in joint locks and dragging him out the door. " Don't worry, we'll take care of him. I'm sure he learned his lesson about violating his suspension. "

Nina crossed her arms and tapped her foot in a impatient manner. " So does still mean I'm on house arrest and probation? " She raised an eyebrow at the officer.

" I suppose not. " Garnette shook his hood and sighed. " It seems you didn't violate anything, but for now, it's best if you stay at someone's place for the rest of the night, maybe for a while. "

The platinum haired woman started to think to herself; what Garnette said was wise, but Nina realized that she would have to stay with Steve, who had been interrogating her since the day they've met in the fourth tournament. They weren't very close, as Nina coldly pushed away her son at every attempt for him to get to know her better. Left with no other option, she marched over to the phone in the kitchen and begun to dial a number.

**=3=**

A short haired brunette sat outside on the fire escape, hidden in the darkness of the night and began to sigh to herself. " I'm sorry, Mister Wulong, but I guess someone kicked your ass before I got to." She watched Nina step out of the door with suitcase in hand and Garnette following her, the officer had shut the door behind him.

The girl stood up and looked over the railing, watching the officers struggle to restrain Lei while they shoved him into the police cruiser. " You failed, super-cop. No point in redeeming yourself now. " She then turned foot and walked up the fire escape, leaving the scene. " You failed to avenge my father, and even betrayed me at that by being the lover of his murderer. "

* * *

Nina softly massaged the bandage that covered the bruise of her forehead, as she tried to avoid Steve's eye contact. The woman knew that her son had failed for the past few minutes to get the hint that she did not want to talk at all, and she crossed her legs in a bored manner.

" Mother, what -- "

" It's nothing. " Nina interrupted Steve for she knew what was to come out of his mouth, the same question from two days ago when he bailed her out of jail.

" Don't lie to me, mother. " The blonde man slammed the first-aid box shut before speaking again. " What happened? " He gave a glare to the woman on the couch in front of him.

" I told you, Steve, it's nothing. " She shot a glare of her own back while examining the look of his face. Steve had the same blue eyes as she did, his glare matched the same as hers. It became a shock to Nina that the two had something in common.

" That's not what the police told me. " Steve pointed at the bandage on Nina's forehead. " Ever since the day we've met, you had been avoiding me ever since. And now after months of searching for my own mother, I finally found her and this is the way she treats her own son? "

" Okay, so you want to get to know me, huh? " Nina let out of a sigh in a irritable manner. " Okay, I'll go first. I'm a assassin, a contract murderer. Someone who kills for a living. "

Steve felt his mouth drop a bit, shocked by his mother's words. " What? You're...an assassin? "

" That's right. It's how I was raised. My father, known as your grandfather, was the leader of a Irish mafia before he was murdered by a rival mafia. " She took a sip of the tea placed on the table before putting the cup back. " He trained me in the style of assassination arts. "

" But...how can you do such a thing? " Steve felt deceived as he forced the words out his throat. During his search for his mother, he expected Nina to be a caring woman with a golden heart, but now all he saw in front of him was a monster, a demon that took lives without a care in the world, not once shedding a tear.

" It's for a living. It's money in my pocket at the end of the day. " Nina looked away from Steve and began to reminisce the days of cryosleep and suffering from amnesia soon after. " Sometimes, I had my reasons, and sometimes I didn't. "

Steve quickly got up to his feet, eyes glared at Nina in a mix of fear and anger. " So that's explain the Heihachi Mishima incident, now does it?! " His only response was a small applaud for Nina started to clap her hands.

" Bravo. I see you're not that stupid, but that one I can't explain. "

" You already explained that you're a bloody murder for Christ's sake, so what else you can't explain, huh? " The living room became silent the second Steve stopped shouting at the top of his lungs, fist clenched. " I'm going to bed. Goodnight, mother. " The British man gave Nina one last look before storming off into the hallway. Reaching the door to his bedroom, he shoved it open before slamming it behind him.

All Nina did was smirk to herself with a victorious look on her face. " I guess that'll shut him up. "

* * *

Lei laid out on his bed in an exhausted form, the fire of anger and hate towards Nina was still in him but did not show. He was defeated, and he felt there was no point in going after the woman. The police had let him and kicked him off the force, and pursuing the assassin again as a vigilante would not make any more of a difference whatsoever.

" Damn, she's strong. " He ran his fingers over the protective cup and examined the tool; there was a large crack in the middle of it. " Cheap thing. " The man chucked the item across the room as it smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces. Lei started to shiver a little with the giant bag of ice atop his bare lap, his body taped into bandages. Tiredness was overwhelming him and he drifted into sleep.

The second he shut his eyes, he felt something pounce onto him and his eyes were immediately opened. The bedroom was dark and no longer lit, and all Lei saw was someone above him with a sharp, steel utensil ran across his neck with a quick slash. His blood spewed everywhere and stained the sheets and pillows beneath him.

" Sweet dreams, super-cop. " A deep voice spoke to the now lifeless body as the man crawled off of the corpse, droplets of Lei's blood had got onto his scarred body and into his short, silver hair.

**TBC**


	7. Heartless

It has been three days since her last attack, and after hearing about the death of her assailant, she could care less about what was to happen next.

" I can't believe it..." Steve gasped at the headline, _' "Supercop" Lei Wulong found dead in his home'. _" He was such a good friend to me...how could this happen? " Nina examined his face and took notice of how well he was fighting back tears.

Not that she was going to be sympathetic about it. Nina had expected that Steve would at least a bit like her. Sure he had her hair color and eyes, but when it came down to personality Steve was too much of a nice guy, for Nina was a emotionless woman herself.

" Mother...did you -- "

" No, I didn't kill him. " Nina had kept a straight, calm face while she replied in an annoyed tone.

Steve struggled to force the words out of his throat without choking on them. " But -- who...would do such a thing? "

" I don't know, and I definitely could care less. " She meant every word that came out. Nina started to remember when she and Steve first met, when he tackled her out of the way of a bullet that Lei shot. It was around the time when the supercop discovered she was part of the crime syndicate he was assigned to take down, but failed to do so until now. She remembered how he managed to shoot her in the back of her leg when she made a run for it, leaving her bed-ridden with a leg cast for months while Steve tend to her needs.

" Mother, please don't so be heartle -- "

" What, heartless? He barged into my apartment and tried to kill me. I guess that shows him that karma's a bitch and it's willing to bite you in the ass. ''

Steve stopped and thought to himself. After the night from three days ago, he had realized that heartless and any related word to it was Nina's middle name. Except she told him it was Sarah.

" But he helped me find you! "

" Yeah, only to 'bring' me to justice and shoot me in the leg. " Nina could already feel the bullet drilling into the back of her leg again. " Not to mention attacking me. "

" But mother -- "

" But nothing. " Nina raised from the couch and stormed towards the hall. " Just leave it, please. " She made it to the guest room and closed the door behind her before she pressed her back against it.

" _Dammit kid, just leave me alone..._"

* * *

She didn't know what she was even doing right now, as she strolled through the foggy streets of the city.

" All I need was a nice walk. " Nina groaned to herself and looked around at the scenery; not only it was foggy, it was rather barren . No one else but Nina was on the streets. Even thought the calming silence was a good thing, it would be a bad thing for anyone if they were to be attacked and left alone to defend themselves.

She then stopped in her tracks; she took this walk to clear her head, and now images of Steve grieving was plaguing her mind. " Come on now, don't feel sorry for that kid. " She told herself. Not once in her life, Nina had never felt sorry for anyone; that was made her so heartless. Some called her selfish. Some called her cruel, but everyone called her a bitch and she was proud of it.

Yet a bit of guilt suddenly grew in her. Nina treated Steve as if she wanted nothing to do with him, and he was too stubborn to notice that. He pushed her out of the way of a bullet that would've shot her dead, gave a roof over her head, and shared his hospitality no matter how cold she was to him.

She had made a decision. " I guess I should...apologize to him. " Nina turned heel and started walking again, only to see that the fog had gotten thicker. " That's great. " She kept walking in total blindness, ending up in the middle of an intersection, with all ends shrouded in heavy fog.

The rumbling sound of thunder broke the silence, the gray skies accompanied by dark clouds. Nina turned to her right. " I think I came from that dir-- " A short, whistling sound rang through her ears and an arrow flew passed her face. She turned back forward and faced a blurry presence.

It marched towards her. Nina squinted her eyes to look closely, only to see brown hair and the color red. " Crawling back again? " She got no response and let out a small chuckle. " Come on Anna, say hi to your big sister. "

The figure became more clearer, and Nina raised a brow; the person in front of her was a woman, a young girl, but it wasn't Anna. Her brown hair was longer and at neck-length. She wore a white karate gi with a matching headband, and a red hakama. She was armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows were strapped to her back. Nina knew one thing, and it was that the teenager in front of her was not her sister.

" Who the hell is Anna? " The girl stopped in her tracks, eyes locked with the other woman in front of her. " I don't know anyone by that name, but I know one thing... " She replaced the bow with a sickle and raised it high in the air. " I, Asuka Kazama, am going to kill you! "

At that, Asuka charged at Nina as she swung her blade outward, and Nina managed to duck under the horizontal strike. Rising from her crouching position, she got up to a handstand and titled her leg forward in Asuka's direction, her heel smashed into her opponent's nose. Asuka stumbled back as she shield her nose.

" Gotta try better than that, brat. " She got down to her feet and rushed the younger female with several kicks to her chest, only to have her ankle caught and be tossed over Asuka's shoulder with heavy strength and no effort, landing hard on her side against the ground. Nina slightly groaned at the stinging pain in her shoulder.

" Better try a new trick, old bag, I've seen your moves. " Asuka raised her leg high and brought it down like an axe, and Nina rolled out of the way of the attack. Nina extended her leg and moved it in an arch, connecting with the back of her opponent's ankle and sweeping her off her feet. The brunette let out a yelp as her back hit the concrete.

" Who are you? " Nina got to her feet and glared down at Asuka, as she stomped her heel and grounded it into her knee, receiving a painful cry. " Talk! " She had applied pressure to her knee.

" I don't need...to tell you anything! " Asuka reached for her sickle and swung at the air, managing to slash the sleeve of Nina's jacket and cut her arm. The assassin stumbled back as she clutched onto her arm.

" Since you work for the same bitch that hired the man who killed my father! " The teenager got up.

" Who? "

" Emily Rochefort. " Asuka circled around the woman, with her sickle still in hand. " The woman who so-called claimed to help you with your problem. A real, spoiled bitch. "

Nina let out a sigh. " I never worked for that brat. "

" So she sent you to murder my grandfather for no reason? "

" What the hell are you talking about? "

Asuka did nothing but shook her head. " Heihachi Mishima's my grandfather, followed by Kazuya Mishima, my uncle, and Jin Kazama, the heir of the Mishima Zaibatsu, is my cousin, which is very shocking to my discovery. "

Nina felt her mouth go agaped. " You mean...you're..."

" Unlike them, I believe in justice and freedom, not tyrannical ways. Lili sent you to kill Heihachi because she thought that Heihachi or Jinpachi, his father, was still in control of the Zaibatsu when it was really my cousin. "

" Well, you seem to know a lot. " Nina rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She could tell that Asuka was nowhere near the Mishimas' level. She seemed to be too righteous to go down their path.

" She's also the one who hired Feng Wei, the same man who attacked you. " Asuka clinched her fist, holding back tears. " And murdered...my father. "

The blonde suddenly lost her composure. " You mean that little bitch is behind all of this? "

" She's a professional con artist. " Asuka sniffed and fixed her bangs. " Lili knew you were the world's deadliest assassin raised by the notorious Richard Williams, so your assailants paid her so they could hunt you down and take your title. "

Nina didn't know what to be enraged about now; either the fact that Lili was the one sending these people to take her life, or that she felt like a side-show challenge at a circus. All she knew that she was going to kill Lili if it was the last thing she'd do.

" She's also responsible for Lei Wulong. Not his murder, but him ambushing you in your apartment. Plus, since me and her are rivals, she thought I had something to do with her father's death, which was Jin's doing of taking over the Rochefort Enterprises, so she hired someone to kill mine. "

Nina looked around at her surroundings. The clouds had changed to a darker, gray tint, and the rumbling of thunder was growing louder. She then jumped at the sound of tearing metal. " What was that? "

" I don't know, what are you -- " Asuka noticed something flying towards their position, as the object grew larger as it came closer. " Move! " She ran towards Nina and shoved her out of the way, and a loud crash ranged through their ears.

It was a large bus. The vehicle had landed on its side and managed to miss its target.

" Humph. I missed. " A silver-haired man appeared, his bare torso clad in a dozen snake tattoos. He wore a pair of cargo pants and military boots. " No matter. More fun for me, then. "

" You! " Asuka reached for her bow and snatched an arrow. " What the hell are you doing here? "

" You should know, runt. " Bryan Fury rolled his neck as the body motion emitted cracking sounds. " That Rochefort bitch sent me here like everyone else to kill the blonde bimbo here. Just like I did with the supercop. "

Nina took a few steps back. " _He's the one.... _"

" You killed him?! " Asuka stretched her bow and fired an arrow. " That was my business! " Bryan caught the arrow inches before it hit his forehead. " You bastard! "

Asuka raced for Bryan, who smashed his fist into her abdomen when she came inches close to him. The girl felt the wind being knocked out of her as if she was hit by a speeding train, and soon felt her back crash against the bus roof.

She didn't even let out a cry; the pain overwhelmed her so much that she could'nt even scream, and she dropped to the ground, not even making a movement.

" Now, with you -- " A gunshot was fired, and the bullet managed to scratch his cheek. " Feisty one, aren't you? " It didn't phrase him, and Bryan marched towards Nina, who frozen up as the gun slipped out of her hand.

The assassin watched the man. Bryan was almost cold as she was, telling by looking into his eyes. His pupils resembled the irises of a snake. Memories of her battle with Lei were coming back, and she was going to be struck down like the prey she was right now.

Many things were happening all at once, and she felt her world spinning. Nina had finally learned the truth and again another assassin was after her. Moving into her aikido stance, she came back to reality; she was going to fight for her life. It was time she changed back into the woman she was born to be.

And to put an end to the madness.


	8. Storm

The colors of the clouds and sky had changed into a darker tone of gray, as heavy rain had poured from above. The rumbling thunder had broken the silence of the gloomy scenery.

Nina watched Bryan slowly crept towards her with small steps, as her eyes were locked with his. Just as Bryan took his next step, he charged for her and begun to throw punches at her face. Nina swerved her body left to right as she dodged and blocked the blows with her arms.

" Impressive..." He curved his mouth into a smirk, still throwing in his hits which had picked up with lightning speed. Nina's movements suddenly became a bit sloppy, trying to avoid the blows. " Come on, girl! Keep up! " His wrist began to rotate in a 360 degree, and his fist spun in the formation of a drill and smashed into Nina's ribcage.

Nina gagged as she felt the air knocked out of her body and felt her back hit hard against the soaked pavement. She groaned and turned on her side as if she was hit by a speeding truck, astonished by the fact that she was still alive.

" Pathetic. " Bryan waltzed to Nina and stomped onto her stomach, causing her to cry out in pain while he let out a hearty laughter of enjoyment, looking down at her. She turned her head and saw her handgun lying next to her. Without hesitation, she snatched it off the ground and aimed at Bryan's chest, firing numerous shots. The cyborg had barely flinched as every bullet stuck him, leaving small holes in his upper body.

" No way..." Her mouth went agape and she aimed higher at Bryan's face. Nina pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet manage to strike him between the eyes. Suddenly she felt the relief on her stomach as Bryan fell into a puddle with a splash, his metallic body then started to shake and emit electricity.

" Why didn't that happen in the first place? " She moaned as she clutched onto her stomach, and her eyes averted to Bryan's lying body with a cold glare. Nina turned around to Asuka, who was now lying on her stomach with her torn headband on the ground. " Are you okay? "

Asuka slowly raised up and held onto the temple of her head. " I'm...fine. " She looked up at Nina and jumped. " Watch out! " She pushed her out of the way and stood up. Nina looked up to a surprise; Bryan with a large survival knife in hand as Asuka grabbed onto his knife arm.

Nina didn't know what to think anymore. This wasn't Lili, The Mishimas, or Lei Wulong she didn't dealing with. this time she was dealing with a monster, a creation from hell, and knew that exact moment would had left her dead with a knife in the back of the neck. Without a thought, Nina stood and fled, running down the middle of the street. She wanted to get away, away from this nightmare Lili had sent her in.

Asuka broke away from Bryan and reached for the chain scythe on her belt, the serious look on her face had contrasted from his sinister expression. " You gotta do more than smashing me into a bus to stop me! " She raced for Bryan with his blade high, swinging her blade as it clashed with his knife. Bryan smirked as the hits came at him, deflecting them with ease.

" Bring it on, kid! " Bryan swung his knife backwards right when it clashed with Asuka's blade with a clanging sound, knocking her off balance and lifted his leg for a kick. Asuka dove under his attack just seconds before it connected with her cheek and threw a right hook, striking Bryan in the chin. He stumbled backwards as Asuka ran towards him with her blade in the air and stuck down, making a large slash on his torso.

Yet she did not stop there, her blade still came at her opponent, creating cut after cut on his chest. Asuka halted and watched Bryan stumbled out of place, not affected by the incisions. " What? " She felt his fist crash into her chest, sending her to the ground on her back. Her chest plate under her karate gi was now shattered into pieces, and her body was swollen with ache.

" That's all you got? " Asuka forced herself off the ground while every slight movement sent a jolt of pain through her chest. " Come on, don't tell me you're one of my grandfather's defected products, are you? " She noticed that Bryan's smirk was replaced with a frown. " The Jacks, right? "

Bryan suddenly charged at Asuka, slowly losing his composure. His knife swings came at her with less precision and technique and his blade arm was soon caught in a joint lock. Asuka twisted his arm and bend it back with a crucial snap, watching the blade drop. She hooked his limp arm with hers and spun him around, while her other hand grabbed onto the back of his head.

" Fool! " Asuka cried out, tilting Bryan's head back before taking his face to the pavement, burying him neck deep into the ground head first. She lifted her arm and wiped the sweat off her forehead, inhaling deep breaths of oxygen. " It's over..." She walked away from his body, blade in hand, confident that she had won the battle. " I'm coming for ya, Rochefort..." She halted at the sound of a click, and before she could turn around, shots were fired.

Bryan's arm was raised in the air, with a pistol in his hand. He then yanked his head from under the ground and got to his feet. He walked around to see Asuka, who laid on her stomach with four bullet wounds in her back. " Who's the fool now? " Bryan leaned over and aimed at the back of her head. " Speak up! " He kicked her in the ribs, receiving a painful cry.

Asuka struggled to crawl to her scythe, only to slump back onto her stomach before she could get on all fours. She turned her head to see Bryan still aiming his gun at her, and her eyes started to sting as tears ran down her cheeks. " Fuck..."

" It was nice knowing you, kid. " Bryan was ready to shoot Asuka down with a wider grin on his face, and just as he was about to shoot the trigger he paused. He turned around to the sound of screeching tires, and faced what seemed to be a pink, speeding limousine. Asuka saw the vehicle racing in their direction, and with all her strength threw her body out of the way. She then cringed at the loud mixture of obscenities such as tearing metal, thumping, and a crash.

"Ow..." She rolled over onto her side, catching a quick glimpse on the limo, which was still in condense shape. Asuka gasped when she saw an "R" on its rear end. " Rochefort..." She looked around to see Bryan's dismembered body. His head was detached from his body, and his arms and legs were scattered around the street, leaving a torso covered with skid marks. " Damn..." Was all she said before body collapsed onto the wet stone layer beneath her.

* * *

Steve was laid out onto the red leather couch in the room, constantly looking back at the clock while averting his eyes to the door. " Mother, where are you? " His eyes turned to the window, watching the severe storm take place. It had been a hour since Nina had left, and he was becoming worried by the minute. " I knew I should have left it alone. " He jumped at the door opening and saw Nina, drenched from the heavy rain with an expression on her face as if she had seen a ghost. " Mother, are you okay? "

" Get out. " Nina responded with a shaking composure while slamming the door behind her.

" What? " Steve questioned, confused and worried about his mother's well-being. " Mother, what is going on? "

" There's no time for that, Steve! We have to get out of here, now! " Nina warned, pausing at the sound of screeching tires. She raced over to the window and saw a pink limousine parked in front of the apartment building with men in tuxedos racing out of it. " Not her again..." She spun around at the sudden banging on the door. " Move it! " Nina lifted her leg and kicked the window open, climbing out of it and onto the fire escape.

" That's it! Mother, what the bloody hell is going on here? " Steve demanded as the apartment door was kicked open, flying off the hinges. He turned around, only to be tackled with a group of large men in tuxes. " Let go of me, you beasts! " He struggled to break free, and cried out in pain as he felt something pierce his neck. Steve began to feel woozy in seconds, only seeing a empty syringe before blacking out.

" Steve! " Nina called out, climbing out of the window as she started to run for the door as the men dragged Steve out. Just as she was about to strike, she was knocked down as someone had struck her in the face with a kick.

" We meet again, Miss Williams. " She looked up, staring at a face that she prayed to never see again. " Did you miss my enchanting presence? " Lili stood in her blue dress and titled her head at the other woman, hands placed on her hips. Her hair was no longer in a bun and went down her back. " No? Oh, well. We'll be taking your son for now -- " Before she could finish, Nina flew from off the ground and lunged for her, tackling her into the wall.

" You little bitch! " Nina wrapped her palms around Lili's neck and begun to choke her, her rage had tightened the grip around the girl's throat. She was going to kill Lili, and if Asuka was to not succeed, then she would.


	9. The Calm

After spending day after day fending for her life, the mastermind behind Nina's terror now stood in her presence. Her bare hands gradually tightening around Lili's neck, the assassin started to mentally contemplate how to exact her revenge on her; death by strangulation seemed too good for Lili. Nina's prey was still pinned against the wall, squirming to break loose of Nina's grip as the oxygen through her lungs were being cut off.

It was only before then someone came to the girl's rescue. Nina felt a hand roughly pull onto her ponytail, forcing her to release her hold of Lili. She crushed her right hand into a fist and swung it back, striking the bodyguard's nose and smashing his sunglasses in the process. Nina spun around, bringing the same hand forward as it connected with the target's chin, bringing him to a hard descent.

Lili was down on one knee, her hands holding her throat. The younger female started to boil with rage and clench her fists, but resisted the lovely temptation of assaulting Nina when she was off her guard. "Next time, Miss Williams..." She bolted for the door, the clicking of her heels alerting Nina to turn around and witness the girl racing for the exit.

"You're not getting away this time!" Nina sprinted after Lili, only to be stopped by a piercing sensation in her leg. The pain forced her to stumble into the wall, hitting the temple of her head upon the fall. Nina stood right back up, but sudden drowsiness sent her to the floor again. "I won't let you...get away..." Making one final attempt to go after Lili, her body grew numb up from her lower half. Her vision fading into black, the last thing Nina saw was the guard she previously took out, holding a small pistol in his hand.

* * *

She awoke from her deep slumber to the sounds of numerous beeps and the heavy rain outside, her body engulfed in ache and soreness. Her eyes slowly opening, they closed back up as the bright light above offended her sensitive pupils. Forcing her eyes to open again, she looked at her surroundings; a white room filled with machinery with an extra bed beside her.

The realization that Nina was in a hospital slowly dawned upon her, as bits of her memory were blurred while the rest of it ceased to exist. No matter how hard she tried to reminisce the past events, nothing came back to her. Her face buried in her palms, she rose her head to see a woman in a white lab coat stand at the edge of her bed.

"I see that you're awake, Miss Williams." The woman wore a suit under her coat, her brown hair tamed in the from of a braided ponytail. She made no eye contact with Nina, her eyes focused on the clipboard she was holding. "How are you feeling this morning?" The woman raised her head with a warm smile, only to face a frosty glare. "Not feeling up to talk, huh? In your condition, I can understandable why."

Nina did nothing but ignore every word the other woman, turning her body to get out of the bed. However, a sharp pain in her left rib made her think otherwise and let out a cry of agony. She immediately clutched around her chest, falling back onto the bed.

"Miss Williams, you mustn't move! Your wounds haven't healed you and you haven't taken your painkillers yet. It's wise to take it easy for now." The doctor rushed over to Nina's bedside, placing a hand on the patient's shoulder only to have it swatted away with a hard slap. "It's quite obvious that you want to be left alone." Nina stared at the woman's back as she walked away. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Doctor Chang, but just call me Julia, okay?"

All the assassin did was nod at Julia as she watched her exit the room. She didn't bother to disobey the doctor's orders in her condition, and decided to just rest for now; it could be the only she could and she needed as much energy as possible if Lili and her men were ever to attack again. The hard rain and thunder outside soothed her ears as it serenaded her into slumber.

* * *

The Monacan teenager tapped her fingers on the window in boredom as she gazed at the stormy weather. Itching for another fight, Lili bashed her fist onto the wall with the regret of leaving Nina to her guards. Conning several fighters, executing kidnappings, or even murdering the head of her late father's rival business could only satisfy her so much.

The sound of a knock on the bedroom door snapped her out of her irritable thoughts. "Come in." An elderly man wearing a tuxedo stepped into the room, his posture poor and his body hunched over.

"Miss Rochefort, it seems that the 'subject' still refuses to cooperate." The news Sebastian informed Lili with prompted her to march for the remote on the table. Aiming the device at the large television set, the black screen switched to Steve restraint to a wooden chair, hands tied behind him with a burly man in a tuxedo hovering around him. His clothes were torn and roughed up, his white shirt stained from the red droplets leaking from his jaw. Lili cupped her chin and titled her head as she watched the man's interrogation, his refusal to speak earning him beatings, one after another.

"I told you, I don't know anything!" Steve screamed back at the burly male hovering over him, a mistake that brought him a heavy blow to his cheek.

"You know, I'm getting tired of hearing that same fucking remark!" The guard sent a swift kick to Steve's chin, receiving a loud cry.

"I think it's about that time." Another man in a tuxedo approached the wounded boxer. "Let's bring _him _in." With a clap of his hands, the double doors softly flew open. Entering the room was a man showcasing a brown military uniform. His slicked-back hair was dark as night and matched his gloves and boots. The man was silent as he approached Steve, sending a cold stare down to the fallen victim.

It was only until then the real torture begun. Punches that came in the form of blurs went for Steve's body, obviously too quick to witness. Each blow caused the man to gag and choke as the blood drawing from his nostrils smeared over his face. Just as the punches ceased, the soldier raised his foot and brought it down to Steve's nether regions, activating a loud scream that increased in volume as the boot started to grind into his crotch.

Lili cringed at the scene, wrapping her arms around herself. As much as she wanted to comment on how inhumane the situation, she knew she'd be a complete hypocrite for doing so.

"This is rather...a bit much." She quickly pointed the remote at the television set, and with the press of a button, the screen went black. "Just who is that man?" The teenager felt appalled as she reached for the cup of the tea before guzzling down the warm beverage.

"That would be Mister Sergei Dragunov, Miss Rochefort." Sebastian adjusted his glasses, clearly unaffected by what he witnessed. "I believe he was the man who you hired for this occasion."

"Well, he certainly has experience, I can state that much." Just as Lili said that, a man barged into the room, halting in his steps in exhaustion. "Have you no manner?"

"Miss Rochefort, it's Miss Williams!" He spoke between pants. "She's alive! One of our spies reported that she's in the Chang Hospital!" Luckily for the man, he was hunched over low enough to avoid the teacup tossed in his direction as the object shattered against the wall.

"Sebastian!" Lili pointed at the butler. "Call in Mister Dragunov and tell him he has a new objective!" She then aimed her finger at the other butler. "You! Alert the others as well!" Lili watched the other servant fled out of the room.

"My Lady, what do you have in mind for Miss Williams?" Sebastian adjusted his glasses again, cupping his chin.

"Finishing the job, Sebastian." Lili snatched the cell phone from the desk and dialed a few numbers before taking the device to her ear. "Gentlemen, please gather at the Chang Hospital at midnight." She felt a hand softy wrap itself around the wrist of her occupied hand, and turning her body, her eyes met with Dragunov's. Lili froze as her body became tense, her expression fearful and full of surprise, frightened blue pupils meeting with frosty pools of gray.

At that, Dragunov relinquished Lili's hand, which let the cellular device slip out of its grip and drop to the floor. The teenager had gotten the hint that her hired hand preferred this to be a solo job. The mercenary removed himself from the scene, with not even his absence curing the girl of her paralysis.

"Sebastian...let's have Mister Dragunov enjoy himself for now."

* * *

"So, how long was I out for?" Nina sat up from her bed as she questioned Julia, who was busy jotting down notes onto her clipboard. She realized that almost a month has passed and nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

"About a day or so." Julia still had her eyed fixated on her clipboard. "Fortunately, you appear to be making quite a recovery."

"But how did I get there?" Nina averted her eyes towards the soaked window pane.

"One of the tenants heard the ruckus and found you in your son's apartment. It's nice to have good neighbors, huh?" That answer made Nina have a double take, realizing what she said.

"How did you know it was my son's apartment?" The assassin froze as her hand slowly crept for the bedpan beneath her. At that, the lights went out, and Nina felt a presence force her down onto the bed.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" It was Julia, armed with a syringe; Nina could feel the needle lightly poking her through the hospital gown. "Killing the world's greatest assassin...imagine the money I could use to save this hospital just for doing that."

"And you call yourself as a doctor?" Nina struggled to push away the woman; Julia had showed that she had much more physical strength than expected, surprisingly for a doctor.

"Shut up! You're nothing but a murderer! I save lives, and you just take them away! You heartless bitch!" Julia rose the syringe and just as she was going to bring it back down, she halted at the sound of a metallic bang. She slumped over Nina as a new figure stood behind her.

"What a strange woman, willing to take a life to save millions...some doctor she is." Nina could recognize the voice just by the accent; it belonged to a female, one she had met before.

"Asuka?" Nina shoved Julia's body to the floor, hastily hopping out of the bed. She stumbled upon that motion, showing her injuries had not fully healed.

"Be careful, I don't think you'll be kicking ass for quite a while." Nina felt the Osakan native take hold of her hand and rush her towards the door. "Come on, I know that Rochefort chick had already planned something."

Just as Nina reached for the doorknob, the sound of gunshots and screaming made her reconsider that decision. "Too late."


End file.
